“He heard about me through a recruiting service and he told me he told coach Morris about me and then me and coach Mathis got in touch after that,” Banks said.

Banks is starting to pick up a little bit of interest from other schools now too.

“I got a lot of stuff going on with Washington State and we’ll see how everything comes out to play,” Banks said. “Just them, SMU and SoCon schools. That’s about it.”

Banks will visit SMU on Jan. 30 and Washington State on Jan. 23.

After two successful seasons, it’s interesting that Banks has had a quiet recruitment, but with his attributes, Banks could be explosive in Chad Morris’ offense.

“I’m the type of player that likes to get the ball in my hands and be special at the second level,” Banks said. “I like to catch out of the backfield a lot. I hit the holes really explosively and I get north and south.”

Banks totaled 160 carries for 1,950 yards and 30 touchdowns on the season en route to his team’s 12-2 season. Notre Dame’s season ended in the Tennessee state semifinals.

Still, Banks has been one of the most under the radar prospects in the Southeast.
“I just feel like I’ve been overlooked in the recruiting process,” Banks said. “They don’t know about Chattanooga, Tennessee football.”

Banks doesn’t know too much about SMU, but knows that it’s a rebuilding process and that Morris is the right coach for the job.

“I’m very interested in doing that. It’ll be hard, but I want to get it back to how things were at SMU in the beginning,” the 5-8, 180-pound speedster said. “I know coach Morris is trying to bring the tradition back and I’d be glad to help bring the standards back.”

As far as the offense and playing time, Banks liked what he was told by Mathis.

“They want the running backs to come and play, not to sit on the bench. They want me to play early,” Banks said. “I like it. It’s what Clemson ran and it reminds me of my offense in high school.”

While Banks doesn’t have offers from Washington State and Indiana, he included them in his top three along with SMU.

“Washington State and Indiana will probably offer sometime this week,” Banks said. “I know they’re coming down to my school.”

On his visit to SMU, Banks wants to find out what kind of fit he’d be for the Mustangs.

“Trying to see where I fit in best at,” Banks said. “Who will give me the most playing time and how I’ll fit into the offense and being a family member there.”

If it comes down to it, Banks has no problem picking SMU if it ends up being his only Division I offer.

“I’d have to sit down with my family and see, but I’d probably take it.”